Some impressive waves during the year

Although we usually think of storms and cold fronts in the South Atlantic as being the cause of heavy swells along the Cape coastline when the sky is blue and the weather fair in Cape Town, there is another reason for a sudden onshore surge. Seismic activity along the tectonic plates deep under water send ripples around the globe and tsunamis have occurred all through history. The practice of building close to the sea has to come into question at times like this, and hundreds of years of little activity can instil a false sense of security. One has only to look at photos of houses built on stilts literally in the sand on the shoreline of the Pacific - and even multi-storey buildings - to wonder when the sea will reclaim its own. I would estimate that we live about 10 feet above the high tide mark, despite being a house or two away from the sea and the last hurricane did in fact deposit a scattering of kelp in the road nearby. The house is on stilts with garaging underneath, and I often think that maybe we should have it filled with boats rather than cars! Being of a philosophical nature, I don't worry too much about what might or might not happen, and prefer to enjoy every day as it comes, and particularly when the sea displays its power without posing a threat.